ntleman. That's why I've always advised you to go over, boy. An'
maybe if Osman wint he'd--Hallo!"

A flash of light and whistling of bullets overhead effectually stopped
the Irishman's discourse. Not that he was at all alarmed by the
familiar incident, but being a change of subject it became more
absorbingly interesting than the conversation, besides necessitating
some active precautions.

The firing seemed to indicate an attack in several places along the line
of defence. At one of the posts called the New House the attack was
very sharp. The enemy could not have been much, if at all, over three
hundred yards distant in the shelter of three large pits. Of course the
fire was vigorously returned. A colonel and major were there on the
redoubt, with powerful field-glasses, and directed the men where to fire
until the General himself appeared on the scene and took command. On
the left, from Quarantine Island, the Royal Engineers kept up a heavy
cross-fire, and on the right they were helped by a fort which was manned
by Egyptian troops. From these three points a heavy fire was kept up,
and continued till six o'clock in the morning.

By that time, the enemy having been finally driven out of the pits, a
party was sent across to see what execution had been done. It was
wonderfully little, considering the amount of ammunition and energy
expended. In the first pit one man was found dead; a bullet had entered
his forehead and come out at the back of his head. Moving him a little
on one side they found another man under him, shot in the same way. All
round the pit inside were large pools of blood, but no bodies, for the
natives invariably dragged or carried away their dead when that was
possible. In the other two pits large pools of blood were also found,
but no bodies. Beyond them, however, one man was discovered shot
through the heart. He had evidently been dragged along the sand, but
the tremendous fire of the defenders had compelled the enemy to drop
him. Still further on they found twelve more corpses which had been
dragged a short way and then left.

Close to these they observed that the sand had been disturbed, and on
turning it up found that a dozen of bodies had been hastily buried
there. Altogether they calculated that at least fifty of the enemy had
been killed on that occasion--a calculation which was curiously verified
by the friendly tribes asking permission to bury the dead according to
the So